Atlantic Rim Natural Gas Development Review Team to Meet

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rawlins Field Office will host a meeting of the Atlantic Rim Natural Gas Development Review Team at 10 a.m., June 18, at 1300 N. Third St., Rawlins, Wyo.

The review team is comprised of federal, state, county and private entities charged with monitoring Atlantic Rim Project Area (ARPA) implementation. Meeting topics will include adaptive management implementation, an update on achievement of Atlantic Rim Record of Decision Performance Goals, storm water best management practices and erosion control.

The 2007 ARPA Record of Decision authorized multiple operators to develop approximately 2,000 gas wells on 270,080 acres south of Rawlins, Wyo. Site-specific environmental assessments are conducted for each new surface disturbing activity, including well pads, roads, pipelines and ancillary facilities. During the 30 to 50 year life of the project, nearly 1.35 billion cubic feet of natural gas is expected to be produced, providing enough natural gas to heat 19.3 million homes for one year.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.